Now I've heard about this pattern a lot while managing to learn very little about it. I know what it looks like and how to tie it, but can someone just explain it to me? Is it weighted or unweighted? Do you dead drift it? I pretty much have the same questions for any "junk" fly, because I've never caught a fish on a junk fly. So please explain to me possibly one of the most simple aspects of beginning to fly fish.

What is a "JUNK FLY?" is it one that won't catch anything? Is it tied using poor materials? Junky materials? Does it have anything to do with junk in the trunk? Is there a list of JUNK ? Does it mean any fly that isn't a dry fly? Just wonderin.......On Clarks Creek it resembles a natural food when hanging six to eight inches above the water. Ask PaulG he might back me up.

Pontus, The GW can be tied either weighted or unweighted (like virtually all wet flies, nymphs, and streamers). Usually this fly is fished dead drift like a nymph. Some folks claim it mimics bright green colored inchworms or some species of caddis nymphs that are bright green. I think the bright color is mainly what catches trout.

The generic term "junk fly" seems to have become part of the FFing language about a decade ago and broadly refers to a group of flies that aren't really conventional in their shape and form and probably are attractive to trout due to their large size and bright colors. Junk flies are usually fished below the surface, dead drift. Lots of us use junk flies in the springtime for fresh stocked hatchery trout - although they are surprisingly effective for wild fish too.Again, these flies aren't strictly defined but I think most PA FFers would categorize the Green Weenie as part of this group of flies along with various egg flies and San Juan Worms etc.

Will not forget the day as a raw beginning fly angler, that I arrived at a famous limestone creek with 2 of my buddies.

(Guess I could use the word mentors but I will stick with buddies, as they were the type to mutter some instructions as to what to do on stream, and soon they were entering their zen state totally focused on their drifts with little time for the distractions of a neophyte.)

At the time I could'nt tell a cicada from a green drake; somehow ended up tying on a green weenie, probably after 25 minutes to rig up. Haha. I am sure this was looked upon as complete buffoonery as any angler who passed mustard knew it was mayfly season.

Anyways, my buddies were well into their drifts as I approached the stream to finally submerge my offering. They had not yet landed any trout and were flabbergasted that I (a completely unworthy) new fly angler had landed a nice trout on one of my first drifts. They probably thought to themseleves- ha, the dummy caught a trout.

Minutes later, the dummy laned another nice trout. This time they looked my way but paid less attention to my success and seemed to focus harder on their own angling. The third trout landed minutes after the last, seemed to send my "mentors" over the edge and came to see what in the world the dummy was doing. Probably came my way because I could'nt even tell them what fly I was using. After I released my third trout in almost as many drifts, my buddies glanced to each other and in simultaneously voice said "Green Weenie, he caught them on a green weenie." with some disgust.

That was so funny. Well, I caught three trout that day. Yep, that was it. The next 10 hours I went o'fer while they hauled in dozens of them. Oh, well.